GROUNDING AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF PRAWN TRAWLER

Summary:

At about 1946 on 16 November 2023, the prawn trawler Sustain ran aground on rocks at the entrance to Loch Broom, Scotland after the skipper fell asleep in the wheelhouse. The vessel could not be refloated, and the hull sustained significant damage, resulting in it being declared a constructive total loss.

The key safety issues identified were:

• Normal fishing routines led to the build-up of a significant sleep debt, which made the skipper less resilient to extended periods of wakefulness.
• The skipper decided to sail early despite staying awake overnight to repair the vessel’s deck wash pump.
• The skipper was not compliant with hours of work and rest regulations at the time of the accident.
• The risk assessments for navigation were ineffective and the identified control measures were not implemented.
• Passages were not planned in line with industry best practice and no alarms were set to warn of the impending danger.

Safety recommendations:

• No safety recommendations have been made.

Source